SpartanRPC: Secure WSN middleware for cooperating domains

In this paper we describe SpartanRPC, a secure middleware technology for wireless sensor network (WSN) applications supporting cooperation between distinct protection domains. The SpartanRPC system extends the nesC programming language to provide a link-layer remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism, along with an extension of nesC configuration wirings that allow specification of remote, dynamic endpoints. SpartanRPC also incorporates a capability-based security architecture for protection of RPC resources in a heterogeneous trust environment, via language-level policy specification and enforcement. We discuss an implementation of SpartanRPC based on program transformation and AES cryptography, and present empirical performance results.